The immigration system will be overhauled, IF he gets the Republican backing he is looking for, said President Obama. The announcement comes ahead of a planned rally by immigrant groups on the 21st of March.
The President has also held several meetings based on immigration. One of them was with Senator Charles E. Schumer (D. NY) and Senator Lindsey Graham (R. SC) who have been working on immigration reform for the last six months behind closed doors. The Senators are of the opinion that the bill will require a fair amount of GOP support if it is to go through. This is where it gets tricky.
The support for the Immigration Reform greatly depends on the Healthcare Bill or rather “how” the Healthcare Bill is passed. If Obama uses a legislative shortcut to get the Healthcare Bill passed, it is almost guaranteed that Immigration Reform will not come into effect this year. After repeated failures to get his healthcare bill passed the only option left for him, it seems, is reconciliation. Under this method, Obama requires only 51 votes, instead of 60, from the Senators to get the bill passed. This effectively means that the Republican vote will not matter at all. This is why the usage of this tactic is sure to irk the GOP and doom any collaborative efforts in the future.
Obama has been warned of this and how he acts on the advice remains to be seen. He has however pledged to fight for Immigration Reform this year and has said that he will canvass for GOP support in getting the bill through.